Candidate Profile: Andres Sandate For Cobb County School Board Post 2

COBB COUNTY, GA — Four candidates are running for Cobb County School Board Post 2 in the May 24 General Primary Election, in addition to others running for District 4 and 6.

Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as the primary draws near.

Andres Sandate is running for Cobb County School Board Post 2.

<b>Name</b>

Andres Sandate

<b>Campaign website</b>

https://www.sandate4cobbschool...

<b>City or town of residence</b>

Smyrna

<b>Office sought</b>

Cobb County School Board District 2

<b>Party affiliation</b>

Democrat

<b>Education</b>

MBA and BS in Business Administration from The University of Kansas

<b>Occupation</b>

Head of Capital Markets at Nectar; 20 years

<b>Family</b>

Married to Heidi Sandate; Three children, Francesca Sandate (Age 10, 4th Grader), Renzo Sandate (Age 7, 1st Grader) and Maximo Sandate (Age 5, Rising K). Our two older children attend King Springs Elementary School and our youngest will attend King Springs Elementary School beginning in Fall 2022.

<b>Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?</b>

No

<b>Age</b>

43 years

<b>Previous public office, appointive or elective</b>

No

<b>Why are you seeking this office?</b>

I am seeking this office to get the focus back on education in Cobb County. The job of the Cobb County Board of Education (Board) is to represent the citizens and taxpayers of Cobb County in determining and demanding appropriate organizational performance. We need authentic, dedicated and visionary leadership to help make up for learning losses and close achievement gaps as a result of the COVID pandemic and deliver the highest possible organizational performance.

We need to get back to being a strong link between the community and the Cobb County School District as an organization. Parents have grown frustrated and are disappointed when they see how our Board functions. We must get input from all citizen stakeholders in our community and schools and devise effective means to be the link for everyone. We haven't faced a more critical time in education in this country in the past 30 years, and the next four years are critical. It is time we hit the reset button on this Board and get back to working together and operating like a top school district in the county. Let's aim extremely high and get going!

The Boards role of developing general policies governing the operations of the Cobb School District, approving a $1.4+ billion budget (in Fiscal 2023) as presented by the staff and working with, empowering and ensuring the performance of Superintendent Ragsdale, has never been more important as a result of the challenges our schools face.

<b>Please complete this statement: The single most pressing issue facing my constituents is ___, and this is what I intend to do about it.</b>

addressing learning losses and achievement gaps as a result of the COVID pandemic, and I intend to ensure that when I am a member of the Board representing District 2, that I work with my fellow Board members to ensure we are doing everything in our powers as outlined in the Cobb County School District Board of Education Policy to catch kids up and focus on one thing: Student Success.

<b>What are the major differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?</b>

I possess different experience that I believe is very relevant to addressing the challenges in District 2 and in Cobb County Schools in general. I have significant business, board and finance experience, am a parent of three young children, am a very active volunteer at King Springs Elementary (and have been since 2017, pre-pandemic) and have been running a foundation board since 2019 at King Springs Elementary. When you are helping formulate policy, empowering a superintendent of one of the largest school districts in the country, and approving a $1.4 billion annual budget, you must possess skills in areas such as negotiation, board policy, contracting, finance, real estate, appointing and hiring consultants and third-parties, and personnel to name just a few. I possess this experience, and it will be necessary for success in this role.

<b>If you are challenging an incumbent, in what way has the current officeholder failed the community?</b>

N/A - Incumbent not running

<b>What other issues do you intend to address during your campaign?</b>

CARES Act funding, literacy programs and strategy, and ensuring all schools in District 2 and their stakeholders are represented on the Board when it comes to equal educational and academic resources, financial support, and facilities improvements and enhancements to deal with aging buildings and crowded classrooms.

<b>What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?</b>

• I am President of the King Springs Elementary School Foundation and have been since 2019
• I am a member of the Principals Council at King Springs Elementary
• I was awarded Cobb Schools Foundation Volunteer of the Year in 2020
• I am Founder of the King Springs Dads Club which launched in April 2022 with an inaugural event with 350 attendees
• I am a Founding volunteer member of Rise Up at King Springs Elementary
• I am a Founding volunteer member of Kilometer Kids at King Springs Elementary
• I am Head of Capital Markets at Nectar a venture-backed fintech company in Atlanta
• I have completed billions of dollars in complex capital markets transactions and deals going back 15 years
• I have an MBA and BS from The University of Kansas
• I am a husband of a loving and supportive wife and father of three busy children, two of whom currently attend Cobb County Schools and the third will join them in Fall 2022

<b>What is the best advice anyone ever gave you?</b>

Be yourself

<b>Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?</b>

You can reach me anytime with questions, suggestions, or concerns about things happening in District 2.
sandate4cobbschools@gmail.com, 404-919-9508 or at www.sandate4cobbschools.com.

You can find me on Facebook at Elect Andres Sandate, Post 2 Cobb County School Board